


Blackbird

by MT_Yami



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: During Canon, Heavy Angst, M/M, Memory Loss, Resurrection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-28 13:11:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13904709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MT_Yami/pseuds/MT_Yami
Summary: After the defeat of Waterblight Ganon, Link surrendered himself to the arms and bed of one Prince Sidon. But as he slowly regains the memories he lost, he finds himself unable to think of anyone but the proud Rito Champion, now a lonely spirit on Vah Medoh. When the Blood Moon comes calling, Link discovers a way to bring back his fallen lover. Caught between someone he once loved and the love of someone new, Link faces the difficult decision of moving on or sacrificing everything for a chance at resurrection.





	1. Reunion

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night_  
_Take these broken wings and learn to fly_  
_All your life_  
_You were only waiting for this moment to arise_  

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night_  
_Take these sunken eyes and learn to see_  
_All your life_  
_You were only waiting for this moment to be free_

He awoke with a shout, in the middle of a giant bed that gently undulated like the sea.

A drowsy voice called from the other side of the mattress, “Link? Are you all right, my Hylian darling?”

Link nodded, rubbing sleep from his eyes and noticing the wetness on the back of his hand.

Another dream, then. About _him._

Prince Sidon’s massive arm curled over his bare waist again as he drifted back into slumber. Link hesitated before pushing it off, a knot forming in his stomach like lead.

His sleep had been fitful ever since he had first arrived at the Rito Village. The moment he laid eyes on Revali’s Landing was when the memories started flooding back, and Link turned right around and warped to the comfort of Sidon’s bed, far away in Zora’s Domain.

_“Yet despite these truths, it seems that I have been tapped to merely assist you.”_

Their courtship had not been long, as Sidon had been quick to show his interest after their shared defeat of Vah Ruta and was, to no one’s surprise, quite persistent. Since his awakening in the Shrine of Resurrection, Link had found little comfort in much of anything, embittered by the revolving door of painful memories. The Zora Prince was as attentive a lover as could be, and proved to be exactly what he needed.

_“I mean, it’s just asinine.”_

But somewhere in the barrage of memory fragments from Revali’s Landing, there was a hint of an emotion that Link had not felt for as long as he could remember.

_“Maybe we should just settle this one on one?”_

Somehow, that flurry of dark feathers and haughty laughter had seized his heart and twisted until Link couldn’t breathe.

_“Good luck sealing the darkness!”_

In the dark of Sidon’s chambers, the Rito Champion Revali, with his proud beak and fierce green eyes, closed his talons around Link’s memories like a vise.

—

**“Well now, I’ve seen that face before...”**

Something about the voice that boomed overhead and reverberated throughout the large mechanical bird called Vah Medoh made Link shiver as it dripped with sarcasm.

**“I had a feeling you would show up eventually. But making me wait 100 years is a bit… indulgent. You’re here to wrest control of Medoh away from Ganon, correct?”**

Link was bundled up snug in Rito-made Snowquill armor, colorful feathers on his shoulders to keep out the cold. He hadn’t been able to quite afford the headdress with his current rupee count, so his flaxen hair was tucked inside his Hylian hood as a windbreak.

**“Think you’re up to it?”**

_Yes, you insufferable bird,_ Link thought to himself as he fiddled with Medoh’s controls. The side-to-side shifting of the Divine Beast in the air was starting to make him feel a little nauseated, and therefore, a lot annoyed. But more than his airsickness, he felt uneasy. Here, deep in the belly of Vah Medoh, he felt completely surrounded by Revali. It felt intimate in a way that was both eerily familiar and terrifying.

Even the way Revali said “Flap to it!” when he’d secured the final terminal was almost _affectionate_.

Atop Vah Medoh’s back, the frigid wind was harsh and slicing as it whipped against Link’s flimsy hood. _Why didn’t I just buy the damn headdress?_ he thought to himself as he pressed the Sheikah Slate against a console that erupted into purplish-black blight at his touch.

As he watched Windblight Ganon materialize in the air above him, he had a faint memory of someone braiding his flaxen hair tight, chirruping softly as they tucked feathers into the plaits with soft, warm hands.

_“This will keep you warm the next time we spend the night at the Flight Range.”_ Despite the bashfulness of the words that were spoken, the voice in his ear was so familiar that Link began to suspect who it could have been.

The memory was halted abruptly by Revali’s voice booming once again all around him and the shriek of Windblight Ganon brandishing a giant arm cannon that glowed a menacing blue.

**“Good luck! That thing is one of Ganon’s own, and it plays dirty! It defeated me 100 years ago...but only because I was winging it.”**

Revali’s thinly-veiled bravado stung at Link in a way he never expected, his chest suddenly tight and painful. He shook his head and knelt, digging his knee into the cold stone of Medoh’s back to distract from the pounding in his chest, and drew his Falcon Bow to strike.

**“I can’t believe I’m actually saying this...but you must avenge me, Link!”**

Link let his first arrow fly with hot tears blurring his vision. In spite of this, the resultant roar from Windblight Ganon assured him that it flew true to its mark.

—

“Well, I’ll be plucked...you defeated him, eh? Who would’ve thought...”

Though he clutched his badly hurt arm with breath still labored, the gentle glow out of the corner of his eye compelled Link to turn and see Revali standing near him, bathed in flickering green flames.

Revali tucked his wings behind his back and regarded Link with a piercing emerald stare. Link felt his cheeks grow warm, the tightness in his chest returning.

The dark-feathered Rito blinked as if to break the spell and averted his eyes, suddenly reticent. “Well done. I suppose I should thank you now that my spirit is free. This returns Medoh back to its rightful owner!”

Link opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. He merely nodded, his face ablaze. He was still not sure why.

At this, Revali scoffed, lifting his chin in a stubborn gesture. “Don’t preen yourself just for doing your job. I do suppose you’ve proven your value as a warrior.”

The Hylian hero was not normally a big talker, but something about Revali’s presence rendered him even more speechless than usual.

Despite the cutting nature of his words, Revali’s tone seemed almost...fond. The glowing green orb of Revali’s Gale hit Link square in the chest and he gasped as he rose into the air, buoyed by a warm gust of wind. Looking down on Medoh from his new vantage point, he was seized by yet another memory.

_“You know, that stubbornness is what I like about you most.”_ _He reached up to touch the Rito’s splendidly feathered shoulder in an affectionate gesture._

_The Champion blushed furiously, his green eyes darkening as he sputtered, “Who said anything about like, Hylian? I can’t stand you.”_

_But the wingtip that very gently, tentatively brushed against Link’s back in return, said otherwise._

Before he knew it, Link had dropped to his knees, safe atop Medoh’s stone once more. Revali raised a golden-feathered brow at him with skepticism.

“It’s now time to move on and start making preparations for Medoh’s strike on Ganon, but...only if you think you’ll need my help while you’re fighting inside Hyrule Castle.”

As the Rito pointed a self-assured wingtip at him, Link found himself thinking, _Here we go again, that stubborn streak where Revali starts pouting—wait, where did_ that _come from?_

Revali sighed, rolling his eyes as he gestured widely with both wings, “Feel free to thank me now.” He regarded Link then with a gaze heavy with expectation, and the Hylian hero felt his breath catch in his throat, a lump that felt like it could give way to tears at any moment. Goddess, why did words keep escaping him?

A few tense moments passed and Link felt a glittering force begin to tug him away from Medoh. _No,_ he thought, _not yet, please. I need more time. I want to know, I_ need _to know why he makes me feel this way._ As the wind blew nothing but Link’s silence towards him, Revali smiled but his green eyes, rimmed with red feathers, held sadness.

“Or...never mind, just go.”

Revali turned away from him then, the green glow that bathed him growing brighter as the seconds passed. Just when Link thought he would disappear forever into the light, taking his secrets with him, the Rito Champion looked back.

“Your job is far from finished, you know.”

Link wanted to cry out as his body began to materialize into the air, the unseen divine force overcoming his will to remain on Vah Medoh and to find the answers he sought.

“The princess…” Revali’s voice was faint now, his body lost in a bright golden light, “has been waiting an awful long time.”

—

Link returned to the Rito Village feeling heavier than he had before, despite the blusterous power of wind he now possessed.

“To think the beast has taken up roost at the top of the village! It looks simply...divine.” The Rito Chieftain Kaneli hooted merrily after he recounted Vah Medoh’s recapture. Link’s responding chuckle was both awkward and muted.

“Feel free to take what you find in that treasure chest. You will get more use out of it than I.” When Kaneli gestured towards the chest, however, Link felt a feeling of foreboding that he couldn’t quite place.

When he finally willed himself to open it, his fear was confirmed in the glittering sight of the Great Eagle Bow—Revali’s bow, a giant, gaudy contraption once expertly wielded in battle by the Rito Champion. Burn marks marred its sweeping golden limbs, and the Champion blue ribbon tied around its lower limb was tattered. Link fought back hot tears as he ran his fingers gently over the bow’s deep wounds.

“My, are you all right, Hylian Champion descendant?” Kaneli hooted softly. “I did not mean to upset you with such a gift.”

Link shook his head. “Yes, thank you,” he murmured, voice hoarse from disuse. “This is an honor.”

He left the Chieftain then, and went next door to speak to Teba. The Rito warrior sat in the middle of his chamber, accompanied by his young son, Tulin. Being in this particular room made Link uneasy for some reason, as if it were a place where he had once spent a great deal of time.

“Hmm, I see you’ve got the Great Eagle Bow from the elder. That thing is way too heavy to use in aerial fighting—I’d end up sacrificing all of my speed just to take a shot.”

Link chuckled under his breath. _That certainly sounds like something Revali would pride himself for having._

Teba raised a dark eyebrow and regarded him curiously. “Now, if I had both the strength and speed of Master Revali, that would be a different story...but seeing the way you handled your bow against Medoh, I suggested we let you borrow the Great Eagle Bow.”

_So it was your idea to dig up these painful memories,_ Link thought wryly, but merely nodded.

“Take it with you on your adventure, along with the respect of the Rito. Well then...my wounds are just about healed, so I guess it’s time for me to take Tulin to the Flight Range. I’m hoping Tulin grows up to be a distinguished warrior like Master Revali.”

“Me too,” Link murmured, before he even knew what he was saying.

Teba cast him another dubious look before getting to his feet with a deep sigh and gesturing to his son. “OK. Tulin! Let’s go to the Flight Range!”

Tulin, the spitting image of a tiny Teba, jumped with glee. Link watched as father and son laughed together, the fond smile on his face tinged with sadness.

Teba turned to him once more, his expression back to stern. “All right, Link. I’ll be at the Flight Range if you need me.”

“Hey guy! Come play with us at the Flight Range sometime!” Tulin cheeped happily. But as Link accompanied them to Revali’s Landing to see them off, he couldn’t help but feel like only painful memories could possibly await him there, if he ever dared to go.

As the sun began to set behind the Hebra Mountains, it occurred to Link that it might be a good time to return to Zora’s Domain and get some hard-earned rest.

He immediately felt guilty at the realization that this was the first time, all day, that he had given Prince Sidon even a second thought.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much of the dialogue in this part was lifted directly from BOTW cutscenes as y'all may have noticed, so disclaimer, I don't own that! In future parts that come away from canon, this will not be the case. Lyrics in the beginning are from "Blackbird" by the Beatles.
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://mtyami.tumblr.com/)! I love to chat!


	2. Remembrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After recapturing Vah Rudania and a fateful midnight encounter with the beautiful Farosh, Link remembers what happened at the Flight Range, and how it changed everything.

Perfectly timed dodging and plenty of bombs made quick work of Fireblight Ganon under the oppressive, scorching heat of Vah Rudania’s magma nest at the heart of Death Mountain. The hot air made everything around Link appear as if behind a veil of bright waves, and his lungs burned thick with acrid smoke as he fought to catch his breath.

Link felt so lightheaded that he barely even registered the sudden appearance of the Goron Champion. It wasn’t until Daruk’s Protection hit him hard in the chest like a pound from one of the Goron’s mighty hands, engulfing him in flames, that he snapped out of his haze, bracing his body and crushing his fists together to activate the impenetrable barrier.

“From this moment forth, the power of protection, from the depths of my soul, now lives inside you.” Daruk beat his chest in affirmation, his bearded grin wide.

Link hesitated, averting his eyes, bright blue and glistening in the rising red heat. “Wait! Before I have to go...I need ask you something.”

Daruk seemed taken aback by this, and Link willed him to answer quickly, for he already felt the tug of the unseen force that would soon pull him away from Vah Rudania.

“Huh, you were never much for small talk, little guy. What is it?”

Link paused, unsure of what his question really was. There were just _so many_ questions, that distilling it down to one was near impossible.

“Did Revali...hate me?”

The Goron Champion laughed, a deep belly rumble so familiar that it hurt Link to hear it. “You and Revali? Ha! Don’t you remember? Why, you were the very best of friends!”

There was the tug again, harder this time. _Come on Daruk, give me a little more than that…_

“Definitely didn’t seem like that would be the case at first, sure, but one day you went to the Flight Range together to ‘sort it out’ as the princess so eloquently put it, and when you came back, you two were _inseparable_. Up until...well, you know.”

Link nodded, which seemed to be a satisfactory answer for Daruk, who smiled affectionately at him. _So in the end, it still boils down to me returning to the Flight Range and remembering whatever important event it was that happened there._

The golden light enveloped him then, and he heard Daruk bellow from somewhere far away, “Good luck, little guy! And give my regards to the princess.”

—

Inside the gazebo on the docks at East Reservoir Lake, Link’s legs dangled over the side of the bed as Sidon fussed over his wounds. The Zora Prince touched him so tenderly that the Hylian hero found himself amused at how such a large being could be so gentle.

“I know that I’m no healer like my sister Mipha was, but you could stand not to laugh at me, beloved one.” Sidon hid a pout as he applied a bandage to Link’s bare side.

Link chuckled and took Sidon’s massive hand in his, pressing an apologetic kiss to it. He knew all was forgiven once Sidon looked up at him with that sparkling, shit-eating grin.

 _What a simple, straightforward, honest creature he is,_ Link thought, his chest swelling with admiration. _Maybe there’s no use in going around digging up all of these painful memories after all._

Despite his injuries, Link allowed Sidon, suddenly over-eager as a puppy, to push him down onto the bed. The mattress heaved under their combined weight, and the Hylian hero closed his eyes to lose himself in inevitable pleasure.

_But when—if—I defeat Ganon, can such a peaceful life really be ours?_

His stomach lurched with the memory that struck him as soon as the question began to cross his mind.

_“After the Calamity is over...let’s build a house together. There’s a spot south of Firly Pond that I had my eye on. We’ll have a little shed for your horses...maybe even an apple tree out back.”_

_Surprised by the extent of his pastoral fantasy, Link shot the Rito Champion a skeptical look, punctuated by a barking laugh._

_Revali stiffened at the sound of his laughter and his green eyes narrowed, glittering dangerously. “You know, Rito don’t live in houses! I’m the one doing_ you _a favor by even considering living in one like some fragile Hylian...bride.”_

_He preened his feathers then in a show of indignance, and in that moment, his heart full to bursting, Link could not imagine a more blissful way to live out the rest of his days._

But Sidon was here and now, surrounding him with a comforting warmth that Link had no concrete recollection of from anyone else. Why settle for the ghost of a house somewhere in Hateno Village when he could live here, in this spectacular palace that glowed blue like many thousands of sapphires?

Link didn’t have the slightest evidence that any of these memories were even _real_. Maybe they were just bad dreams, or fragments of a past he once wished he had.

All he knew was that nobody living now could say for sure.

—

More than the stark Champion blue color of the tunic, it was the smell of it that drove Link to weep after receiving it from Impa. When he first put it on, alone in Sidon’s chambers, it smelled of sunlight, lost friendships, and forgotten hopes. Indiscriminate memories that were mostly just myriad emotions washed over him as he sat at the edge of the bed wearing nothing but the tunic, his head in his hands as he cried wordless tears.

The next day he took it to the Great Fairy Cotera to get it upgraded, at the cost of a mere handful of Silent Princess flowers. As he handed over the delicate blue and white blooms, a brief memory crossed his mind.

_“You should pick those when you see them, you know. I heard that they bring good fortune to couples who pluck them and swear their eternal love to one another. Ah! N-not that I would swear eternal love to you...or anything like that. I just thought maybe they would come in handy someday.”_

“If you’d like to upgrade this again, I will need two shards from Farosh’s horn, the electric dragon.” Beautiful, buxom blonde Cotera batted her eyelashes coquettishly at him, as she always did. “Shouldn’t be too hard for a stud like you to get them. You can find her under the Floria Bridge at midnight, in the Faron region.” And so Link went, warping without delay from the outskirts of Kakariko Village.

From Faron Tower, he glided towards the three mangrove trees that held up Floria Bridge. He waited at the fire in front of Lakeside Stable until night fell and the fireflies emerged into the darkness.

Around midnight, the dragon appeared over the head of Floria Falls. As she descended over the waterfall and down towards the roots of the mangroves, she made no sound but a gentle whoosh of wind and the crackle of electric green all around her.

Link dove off the side of Floria Bridge, gliding at first, then free falling as he drew his bow for a single strike, time slowing near to a halt. His arrow hit the ivory-scaled dragon at the base of her great golden horn, and a bright flash lit up the night sky.

Buffeted by the winds Farosh generated as she serpentined under the bridge and towards another waterfall leading up to Rassla Lake, he fell for what felt like forever, finally hitting the waters of Lake Floria with an unceremonious splash.

He surfaced with a sputter, thankful to have thought to wear his Zora Armor for better swimming. Carefully avoiding the glowing orbs of Farosh’s electricity hovering just above the water, he climbed a massive aerial root of one of the mangrove trees to recover some energy before retrieving the shard from where it had fallen into the water, marked by the shimmering beam of light it emitted.

As soon as he sat down on the moss-covered root to catch his breath, however, a particularly vivid memory seized him.

_“I don’t see anything.”_

_“Hush, just wait. It’s not quite time yet. I bet that I could show you the most beautiful sight in all of Hyrule and, do pardon me for being so frank, but I’m no liar.” He and Revali sat close despite the broadness of the mangrove root, and Link found himself incredibly aware of soft, dark feathers pressed against the bare skin of his arm. He shivered involuntarily, which earned a chiding squawk from his avian companion._

_“Are you cold? Seriously? We’re in the Faron region, only a naked fledgeling would be cold in a place like this.”_

_Link shook his head to deny it, but all of a sudden Revali was urgently tapping his arm with his wingtips to get his attention. He felt almost dizzy from the contact, but then he saw her, Farosh, the spirit of lightning, as she crested the waterfall and glided gracefully towards them._

_She was every bit as splendid as Revali promised, with scales that glittered like opals in the moonlight. Her underbelly, smooth as a snake’s, glowed the same green as the orbs of crackling electricity that accompanied her. The horn that erupted from her forehead like a great golden wave was more beautiful than any jewel Link had ever seen._

_As Farosh sailed past their perch, she regarded them with deep amethyst eyes. The rest of her long, lithe body drifted languidly around the mangrove roots as she climbed the updrafts towards the next waterfall._

_Amidst the bright green glow of the dragon’s electric orbs, like so many little lanterns lighting up the quiet lake around them, Link leaned over to press his lips against a downy-feathered cheek._

_“You win,” he said._

_Revali trilled lowly in response, interlacing his wingtips with Link’s fingers to squeeze them gently._

When Farosh faded into the darkness of the early morning, she swept those gilded memories away with her, leaving Link alone in the present and aching with longing for the past.

—

In the morning, Link stood outside Rito Stable and prepared his favorite mount, the great black courser with the white face and roached mane. They would go, at last, to the Flight Range today.

They galloped south first, following the winding trail down around Lake Totori and the Rito Village, turning north past the slumbering Black Hinox. At the rocky foothills of the Hebra Mountains, the ground was covered with powdery snow and the air grew bitterly cold, whipping against Link’s bare cheeks hard enough to chafe.

Link knew that they were nearly there when he began to see large game animals in the snowfield, Tabantha moose and great-horned rhinoceros. As they slowed to a trot through Dronoc’s Pass, the snowfall thickened, but Link could still barely make out the bright blue of the targets shrouded in updrafts and the warm orange glow of the torches that marked the entrance to the Flight Range.

The last time he was there felt sterile compared to the rush of emotion that greeted him even just sighting it from afar. He stopped the black courser a little ways away from the ladder that led up to the little hut and dismounted, giving his large, pink nose an affectionate pat before continuing on foot.

He climbed up the ladder, entering the wooden structure between the two torches. Link had barely sat down on the faded patterned blankets in front of the cooking fire before he could hear Revali’s voice in his ears, as loud and clear as if he were watching a movie play out before him.

_“The nerve of the princess, telling us that we can’t leave this place until we ‘sort it out.’ What does that even mean? I’ll have you know, I could just fly right out of here if I wanted to! Mark my words, boy, I will never accept you as my superior!”_

_Link merely watched as Revali stormed about the small hut, knocking aside pots, the Swallow Bow on the table clattering to the floor with one angry sweep of his powerful wing._

_“And_ you! _All you ever do is sit there in silence. Do you ever talk? Do you even have_ any _idea how much I hate you?”_

_“Well, I don’t hate you. And yes, I talk...when people are worth talking to.”_

_At this, the dark plumage around the Rito Champion’s neck puffed up in belligerence, making him appear twice as large. His wings snapped out dramatically from his body as if to strike._

_“Why you...insufferable, incompetent shrimp! I’ll show you my worth! I’ll have you know that I am Revali, the most skilled archer of all the Rito!” Revali lunged at him then, and once the first punch was thrown, they erupted into a flurry of indiscriminate shouting and hitting each other with all of their might, tumbling across the floor in a ball of flailing limbs._

_“Revali, stop! This isn’t solving the problem!” Link caught Revali on the beak with a sharp left hook, causing him to squawk indignantly and recoil from the tangle of their bodies. Chests heaving with exhaustion, they regarded each other warily with wild eyes, flaxen hair and blue-black feathers blown in all directions by the nearby updrafts._

_Suddenly the air in the room shifted and Revali was pushing him down into the colorful patterned pillows by the cooking fire, biting feverishly at the side of his neck. Link gasped in surprise, for instead of the pain he expected, he felt a strange heat rising in his body—in his cheeks, his chest, his loins. Before he realized what was happening, he was responding in kind, running his fingers through the sleek feathers along the Rito’s strong back, curling them around the thick plume of his tail._

_Revali made a oddly sensual noise then, a low trilling, and Link nuzzled his face into the fluffed plumage around his neck. At this, the Rito Champion began to beat his wings violently._

_“Hey! Ow!”_

_“Ah, sorry!” Revali immediately tucked his wings back in and averted his eyes in shame, the redness of his cheeks hidden by dark feathering. “Goddess, this is embarrassing.”_

_They sat in sheepish silence for a moment, Revali’s weight still heavy on Link’s flushed body._

_“Pardon me, but I-I have to admit...I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know how to do..._ this _...with a Hylian.”_

 _“What is..._ this _...that we’re doing, even?”_

_Revali regarded him suspiciously. “What are you, a brand new fledgeling? Mating, of course! Is this not what both Hylians and Rito do when they are attracted to each other?”_

_Link could only stare at him with confused, conflicted eyes. “But you hate me.”_

_For once, Revali looked unsure. “It may come as a surprise to you, but I’m...not always good at saying exactly what I mean, for all of the words that I speak in a day.”_

_The Hylian’s responding snort caused Revali to frown, clucking his disapproval._

_“I just mean that I don’t really hate you…heh, I’ll admit, I was jealous for a long time that she chose you over me. The princess. I didn’t want to_ —couldn’t— _believe that you were somehow better than me.”_

 _Revali clucked again, suddenly self-conscious of Link’s body heat still so close to his. “But then, and in truth, I don’t really know how or why this happened, but instead of hating you, I started hating that you were always with_ her _. The thought of you being forced to be here with me tonight because it was what_ she _wanted...it made me furious. But how was I ever supposed to tell you that, in so many words?”_

_“Look, despite all of my remarkable skills, I’m not a princess, or even good enough apparently to be anyone’s appointed knight or to be relied upon to seal the darkness. But thanks to Ganon, tomorrow could be the end of the world as we know it, and I’ve been asking myself lately...who would I want to spend it with?”_

_Revali’s meaningful look then said it all, and Link, more than anyone else, knew that words were not always necessary to convey exactly what would have been said. He reached up to stroke the downy feathers around Revali’s bright green eyes, then pressed a palm to each side of his beak, planting a sweet kiss along its golden curve. This was his answer to the forlorn Rito, the only answer that Revali needed._

_He was met, without surprise, by another cluck of disapproval. “Hmph, you call that a kiss? Let me show you how the Rito kiss, Hylian boy.”_

_Though they teetered there together at the brink of impending calamity, a bright, full moon shone overhead, and Link soon discovered that the warmth of Revali’s embrace could make even the bitterly cold air of the Hebra Mountains feel like the height of summer._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, touching tongues is how some parrots kiss. My internet history is forever ruined by the research I did to write this part. Basically, I ended up taking a page out of [Mike Tyson’s book](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6odKSn1TU). Ain’t got no time for bird sex, I wanna fly! 
> 
> Like in the first part, any dialogue lifted directly from BOTW cutscenes is not mine!
> 
> Please leave me reviews if you liked what you read, they are always loved and keep the fic machine cranking <3 As always, you can also hit me up on [Tumblr](https://mtyami.tumblr.com/).


	3. Reminiscence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link meets Revali's lonely ghost on Vah Medoh and learns some curious lore from Kass.

The discovery of what had happened at the Flight Range made Link’s body burn for days after, and upon returning to Zora’s Domain, he found himself completely unable to forget about it. Even with his naked body wet and slick under Sidon’s considerable bulk, his climax felt lukewarm compared to the scorching memories of the Rito.

Link hated himself for it.

“Beloved one, why have you looked so sad these past few days? Have I upset you in any way?”

The Hylian hero shook his head, kissing Sidon’s forehead tenderly. “Of course not, it’s nothing. I love you, Sidon.” _Don’t I? Revali is dead, and nothing, not even the most vivid of memories, is going to bring him back._

Sidon looked so delighted to hear this that Link was afraid that he could actually hear his heart breaking. The Zora Prince lifted him up and rolled over onto his back, the mattress heaving like a great sea beneath him. He laid the Hylian’s small body on top of his chest and with a contented sigh, squeezed him close with strong, well-muscled arms.

“I love you so very much, Link! Have I told you that you are my most treasured one for all time?”

Link averted his eyes, suddenly wracked with guilt, but still clutched at Sidon’s chest as if drowning.

_Ah yes...time. Something you and I have plenty of, and something Revali and I ran out of long ago._

—

Or so Link thought, but he soon discovered that the Goddess Hylia worked in mysterious ways.

After the defeat of Thunderblight Ganon, the Gerudo Champion Urbosa made a curious comment in her parting words to him, just as the unseen force pulled him from Vah Naboris.

“You know...on the nights when the crimson moon hangs low in the sky and brings Ganon’s monsters back to life, our power grows stronger as well. While we can never leave our Divine Beasts for all eternity...on a night like that, anything is possible.”

True to her words, it was on the first Blood Moon after taking back Vah Naboris that Link saw him, like something out of a dream.

Link had been on top of Tabantha Tower, looking out onto the vast grassy foothills at his next destination, a bright orange shrine to the south, just past the Great Fairy Fountain. When he turned to glance to the north, the sight of Vah Medoh on her perch with a crimson moon overhead made him freeze.

_On a night like that, anything is possible._

Creeping to the edge of the circular stone scaffold several stories above the Tabantha Frontier, he swore that he would never quite get used to leaping from this high up, waiting with bated breath for his paraglider to catch the wind and hold his weight aloft. But before he even knew what his body was doing, he had jumped off the brink of the tower in the direction of Medoh’s roost.

As he neared Vah Medoh, his paraglider fluttering noisily overhead, he caught sight of a dark figure perched atop the Divine Beast’s crest that was bathed in a curious green glow. His heart beating like thunder in his chest, he landed on the platform at Medoh’s feet in a heap of limbs and wood and fabric, clumsy in his haste to confirm his suspicions.

He scaled Medoh’s back like a man possessed, and when he reached the stone collar of her neck, he stopped dead in his tracks. The profile that appeared sharp in silhouette against the blood red moon was wholly unmistakable, and Link’s gasp was audible over the soft whirring of the giant mechanical bird.

“Revali.”

It was a breathless utterance, almost lost to the wind. The name felt alien for Link to speak aloud, as if it had laid dormant on his tongue for over a hundred years.

The Rito turned and gave him an contemptuous look.

“Indulgent as usual, aren’t you? Took you long enough to realize that I would be here, with nothing else to do at that! Even after I practically talked you through beating Windblight Ganon, you’re still finding new and absurd ways to make me wait for you. Ah, and still...not a thanks in sight.” Revali reclined with an exasperated sigh. _“Typical.”_

When Link did not respond, he added, “Why, Link, you look as though you’ve seen a ghost.” One look at Revali’s face then, filled with sadness and longing, betrayed the lightheartedness of his jest.

“But...how is this possible?”

“Goddess Hylia has a sense of humor, I suppose. Although it appears that her powers are quite limited compared to Ganon’s. At least during a Blood Moon, _they_ actually get to return to flesh...while I...well, I’m here in some sort of form, aren’t I?”

“I never thought I would see you again. I’ve...really missed you.” Link took a tentative step forward, and Revali ruffled his neck feathers, his green eyes fixed upon him intently.

“And to think, when you were here last, I was so convinced that you had forgotten all about me.” The Rito preened himself to hide his sudden self-consciousness and then sighed so deeply that his whole body shuddered. “It’s been a lonely century without you, Link.”

Link staggered at the physical pain the Rito’s words inflicted upon him, and fought the urge to run to him and embrace him right then and there. But that seemed strange, too sudden, too forward for a hundred years of absence. “When I woke up in the Shrine of Resurrection, all my memories were gone. Of Ganon, of the princess, of the Champions...of you. It wasn’t until I saw you again that things started coming back. It took me some time, but...I remember everything now.”

The wind howled, icy as it blew down from the Hebra Mountains. The red light of the moon added an extra chill that seeped deep into Link’s bones and made him shiver despite his thick Snowquill armor, but Revali seemed not to notice the cold.

“Sometimes when I’m up here on a night like this, I think about that little house we’d always talk about building. Do you remember that? The one in Hateno Village.” The Rito’s smile was fond, but so pained that it made Link’s heart wrench just to look at him.

“With the shed for my horses and the apple tree out back? My black courser would love to live there. So would I.” Revali’s face lit up at his words and the urge to kiss him became overwhelming. Link closed the distance between them, coming over to sit next to the Rito Champion’s glowing figure and dangling his legs over the edge of Medoh’s crest.

Revali let out another long sigh. “I wish things had turned out differently.” He chuckled softly then, and turned so that their eyes met and refused to look away. “Maybe I would have even been nice to you from the beginning if I had known that this was how it would all end up.”

They talked until the moon began to dim, its eerie red glow fading into the soft pink of dawn. Over the sounds of Medoh’s soft whirring, they said things that they never could in life, but wished that they had, and reminisced about sweet memories they held most dear, things they had once hoped for, things they regretted. Link felt his heart fill to bursting, whole for the first time in a hundred years.

But when he tried to take Revali’s hand in his, the Rito Champion felt cold and immaterial to the touch. Link recoiled in surprise, reminded for the first time during this blissful night that the Revali before him was merely a pale imitation of his beloved, a shadow totally void of life and vitality. The realization made Link feel like he was mourning Revali’s death for a second time.

“I have to go. The sun is rising.” Revali’s voice trembled as he looked up at the moon, now faint in the brilliant umber sky. “I don’t know if, or when, we will be able to speak again like this, but I’m so glad that nothing has changed between us. Even after all these years.”

Though Revali was only a ghost on borrowed time from a mysterious crimson moon, nothing had ever felt more real to Link than this night. But instead of feeling despair that it had at last come to an end, he felt fury rise in his chest, angry tears pricking at his eyes.

“Revali! Before you go...I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to defeat the Calamity and finally avenge you!”

“Thank you, Link.” Revali gave him one last sad, sweet smile before he vanished into the first blush of morning.

_No, I was the one who was going to thank you,_ Link thought as the wind carried the last glittering remnants of Revali’s spirit away across the ridge. _After all, my thanks is long overdue._

Since he first awakened in the Shrine of Resurrection, Link felt like he had been walking around in a haze, unsure of his purpose. He had relied entirely on being told what he was supposed to do, and where he needed to go to fulfill his role as the sword who seals the darkness and ultimately, the savior of Hyrule. Out of an odd sense of duty, he had gone along with all of it, but while he had already regained dozens of memories, he often felt like he was only looking at pictures of a life that had belonged to someone else. But on this night, Revali’s undying love from beyond the veil felt like it was truly _his_ , and his alone.

And in the name of that love, Link would crush Ganon with all of his might.

—

It seemed like fate when not long after making his vow to Revali, Princess Zelda spoke to him telepathically for the first time in a long time, her voice echoing inside his head from far-off Hyrule Castle.

**“All of the Divine Beasts are now free. With the strength you have attained, I am certain you can unlock the powerful force hidden within. Go to the Shrine of Resurrection and return the Sheikah Slate to its terminal.”**

The trial that ensued had been, seemingly, straightforward, and Link had been able to narrowly defeat all of Ganon’s monsters in each location despite the drain on his life force that the One-Hit Obliterator imposed. When the Obliterator broke upon completion of the trial, the pieces flew to the four corners of the continent inhabited by the Divine Beasts. Link was then commanded by the monk Maz Koshia, who had first spoken to him deep in the catacombs of the Shrine of Resurrection, to complete a series of trials that would enhance the unique gifts of the Champions and better his chances against Calamity Ganon.

Even the mere mention of Revali kept the Rito Champion alive and well in Link’s heart, as if it were a private shrine of his own. Naturally, the Hylian hero jumped at the chance to see all the places where Revali had once displayed the bravery, power, and wit necessary to collect Medoh’s Emblems and become her true master.

In the clearing beneath Medoh’s roost, Link had encountered the famed bard, Kass, who played for him an unfinished song glorifying the trials that Revali had faced to become Champion. The dulcet notes of the verses compelled Link to see clearly, in his mind’s eye, the bold Rito archer conquering them with ease and, as always, great flair. It gave him courage, but most of all, it gave him resolve.

He had gone across the map to collect Medoh’s Emblems once again, tracing Revali’s footsteps from over one hundred years prior, and arrived back in the west at the feet of the great mechanical bird. As he gazed up at her vast stone body, it was Maz Koshia’s voice that echoed in his head.

**“To the one who approaches this Divine Beast...In the name of Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial. In exchange for Medoh’s Emblems...you will be granted the chance to tread through the realm of memories.”**

At this, Link hesitated, but remembered his resolve. In any way that he could, he wanted to hold on to the lonely green glow of Revali’s spirit, who smiled at him so sweetly and so sadly under a blood red moon, trapped for all time on Vah Medoh.

**“Do not take this place lightly, nor dismiss it as merely a world within your mind. The truth is much deeper than you know.”**

Moments before he was whisked into the illusory realm, Link thought to himself, _I would be lucky to live in the world within my mind, because at least, there, Revali is alive._

Maz Koshia’s words interrupted his bitter thoughts. “ **The enemy you shall face is a product of the fear that dwells within. This battle is a trial of the soul.”**

He had barely arrived into the eerie green mist when he heard the roar of Windblight Ganon, even more decayed and grotesque than it ever was before, engorged into a full-blown nightmare on the back of Link’s realization that _this monstrosity killed his beloved_.

The Hylian hero’s scream as he ran towards it with bow drawn was more strangled sob than battle cry.

—

When Link finally emerged from the illusory realm battered, but triumphant, the first thing he heard were the sounds of Kass’ accordion. The colorful Rito bard did not notice him for some time, gently swaying as he played his upbeat and melodious song.

“Oh? My, my.” Kass turned around and smiled in surprise when he saw Link standing close enough to listen. “Ah, wandering around here and listening to anecdotes about Champion Revali has truly invigorated me. In fact, it has inspired me to honor him in my own way, separate from my teacher’s unfinished song. That is why I felt inclined to roost here, near the Divine Beast Vah Medoh, which Revali himself mastered.”

He gestured to the great mechanical bird that loomed behind him, casting a broad shadow over them. Link felt a brief pang as he thought of Revali, perched on Medoh’s crest, his smile warm but his touch cold as stone.

“I’ve written a song...to try and capture the essence of Champion Revali…

Recall Medoh’s Champion of flight,

Before he fell to his fateful plight.

Revali’s feat was a wonder to see,

So the princess made her plea.”

Kass had barely sung the first few verses, set to a strangely familiar, wistful tune, when a memory struck Link like a bomb arrow to the heart. It was a memory that he had always kept a secret from Revali, the day that the Hylian hero had fallen in love with him at first sight.

_They had ridden so far from Rito Village that the heavy snows of the Hebra Mountains were coming down all around them. Encased in thick steel armor, Link and the other Hylian soldier sent to escort the princess were plenty warm, but they both cast worried glances at the princess astride her white stallion, swathed though as she was in a splendid jacket made from the furs of a Snowcoat Fox._

_All in the name of a literal wild goose chase, as Link snidely thought to himself, for the famed Rito archer, Revali._

_Link would have preferred not to wear a full suit of armor, as he was unaccustomed to it and could barely move, but the princess insisted. She did not want the prospective Champions of the Divine Beasts to feel uneasy in his presence as the appointed knight, the sword that seals the darkness famed throughout Hyrule, but she had wanted his opinion of the candidates all the same. So he accompanied her, hidden away in clanking metal and wearing a glum face._

_At the height of Dronoc’s Pass, the princess’ soft gasp told him that they had arrived at what the Rito called the Flight Range, and where they had been told Revali would surely be._

_Link had barely ripped open the visor on his helmet so he could actually_ see _something when he heard a shout, and glimpsed a dark figure zip skyward on jets of air that had appeared from seemingly, nowhere. In a split second, the whirlwind had spat out a bundle of feathers unceremoniously onto the rocky outcropping below._

_It seemed to Link in that moment that the great Rito archer Revali could, in fact, barely even fly. He quietly dismounted from his horse but hung back behind the princess, who had edged forward out of concern. The Rito was on all fours, muttering something to himself, but when he turned sharply to look at his unwanted audience, Link felt his knees grow weak._

_Those bright green eyes, rimmed by dramatic red and white feathering, were unlike anything he had ever seen before, and danced with a fierceness of a wild animal yet untamed. Clutching his mount’s reins tightly in one hand, the young Hylian found himself unable to look away._

_“You know, your highness...it’s rude to eavesdrop.” Revali got to his feet, his back to them and his voice, sarcastic and biting, echoing throughout the surrounding cliffs._

_Princess Zelda looked contrite, as she always did when scolded. “My apologies. I went to the village and was told I could find you here.”_

_The Rito gazed out over the deep gorge in front of him for what seemed like an eternity before turning to face the princess, his expression smug and his words haughty._

_“You have need of me. To defeat Calamity Ganon.” Something about the look on his face was both irresistible and infuriating to Link, who could only stand by and watch the scene unfold. “To slay the beast once and for all...it will be my great pleasure.”_

_“Thank you, Revali. If we work together, I’m certain we’ll be able to defeat—” Link raised an eyebrow as the Rito brazenly cut the princess off with a bellow._

_“However!”_

_He turned on his heel then, much to the confusion of both Link and the princess. The young Hylian knight watched intently as Revali crouched, and with the barest flick of his outstretched wings, a blusterous gale rose about him, propelling him upwards as he leapt into the air. He climbed higher and higher in the eye of the whirlwind until he was just a tiny dark speck against the bright blue sky. Suddenly, he turned and dove, and in the blink of an eye, three bomb arrows flew true as gospel and exploded against three neon targets marked on the rocks in the gorge far below._

_Link had barely caught his breath, the blood pounding in his ears, when Revali landed on the rocky outcropping and leapt once again into the air in a series of deft wheeling turns that released an endless volley of bomb arrows, creating a smoke-filled ring of fire all around the canyon._

_Princess Zelda made a loud noise of delight at the marvel of it, her breath a puff of surprise suspended in the cold mountain air._

_The Rito emerged then from the cloud of thick smoke to perch on the wooden railings of the Flight Range shelter. At that moment, Link felt like they locked eyes, green on blue, but perhaps, it had been his imagination._

_“I know I play the biggest part in helping that, ahem...that little knight with the darkness-sealing sword. Correct?” Revali’s voice dripped with sarcasm, and he made a suggestive gesture as he sneered at them._

_Princess Zelda glanced back at Link then as if to say, “Don’t you even dare.” Link barely noticed, his eyes still trained firmly on Revali._

_The Rito rested a wing on his hip and scoffed. “Well, if he loses his confidence after seeing_ me _in action...don’t come crying to me.”_

_But instead of anger, or even intimidation, Link could only feel captivated by the arrogant Rito archer. He would tell the princess on their ride home from the Flight Range that he very much looked forward to working alongside Revali to defeat the Calamity that threatened their home._

_However, he would keep his heart’s private longing to himself._

It was the clearing of Kass’ throat at the conclusion of the song that snapped Link back to the present. “Hmm...it seems the Rito Champion was not one to share his feelings.”

Link was unsure if Kass was being sarcastic or not.

“So? What do you think of Champion Revali’s song? By writing a song that highlights the hidden feelings of Champion Revali, I feel closer than ever to my dear teacher.”

As Kass was talking, the wind began to blow, drowning out his voice. Another voice soon took its place, this one familiar as Link’s own, booming inside his head.

**“I truly never imagined you would do so well. Regardless, Revali’s Gale should be more efficient than ever. As you are, I guess it’s _theoretically_ possible for you to best Ganon.”**

The affectionate, teasing jab brought happy tears to Link’s eyes, warmth spreading from his frozen toes to his belly as he imagined Revali’s beloved face laughing as he said it.

When the voice faded, Kass gave him a curious look.

“Are you all right, Link? Have I upset you?”

Link shook his head, but was sure that the bard saw his tears before he swiped them away furiously.

Kass did not take his eyes off of him, and craned his neck to the side in a peculiar manner, as birds are wont to do. “Say, you returned to the Shrine of Resurrection on the Great Plateau to begin this quest, did you not?”

When Link nodded, the bard clucked to himself, his expression somewhat hesitant. “Recently, while on my many travels, I heard a very curious thing. These trials that you have undertaken, though the fruits of their completion will surely strengthen you against your inevitable clash with the Calamity…they may be able to also grant you something else you seek.”

The Hylian hero’s head snapped up to look at him then, his bright blue eyes questioning.

“Now, you’ll certainly have to complete the trials of all the Divine Beasts remaining, but, after that...I’ve heard tell that Monk Maz Koshia is quite fond of the jewels that shooting stars leave on the earth, and is equally as fond of bargaining with mortals. Perhaps, for the right price, he would trade you a favor in keeping with the name of the shrine he inhabits.”

Link’s heart was now in his throat, suffocating him. He barely dared to speak the words aloud.

“What, do you mean... _resurrection_?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter in the books! I know that there was a lot of narration in this chapter because of the style I chose to write this in, but bear with me, it's all a set up for a long, juicy last one.
> 
> As with all the chapters, any dialogue lifted directly from BOTW cutscenes is sadly, not mine.
> 
> Please comment if you liked what you read! The fic machine loves them and cranks harder when it sees them :3 And as always, you can also hit me up on [Tumblr](https://mtyami.tumblr.com/). I love to chat!


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